Road ripper



July 23, 1940. F 1 DU VALL 2.2@9,083

ROAD RIPPER Filed Jan. 2l, lEB- 5 Sheets-Sheet l Snventoc FRANK JQ DuVALL Gttorncg ,v

` July 23,1940.

F. J. DU VALL ROAD RIPPER Filed Jan. 2l, 195B 3 Sheets-Sheet '2 :n f E+ L2,

Ml Il( Q on l!) Q I I l] v 'lll l. m I 99 l m a Q I if; E m lv I: I; "uml L! N .2 2'# l Q i i M Snventor FRANKJ-DUVALL Gttomeg; i

July 23, 1940. 1:l J, DU VALL 2,2@9,83

ROAD BIPPER Filed Jan. 2l, 1938 3 Shees--Sheet` 3 Bnventor FRANKJ-UUVALL Bg Gttorneg 5 Patented July 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE l 2,209,083 ROAD RIPPER Frank J. Du Vall, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Case Crane & Kilbourne Jacobs Co., Columbus, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Y Application January 21, 1938, Serial No. 186,173

6 Claims.

This invention relates more particularly to apparatus for ripping up old roads for replacement with new ones or for abandonment of a road or portion thereof. I

In such machines there is employed a gang or plurality of ripping tools mounted in a frame carried by a pair of wheels, said ripping tools having their cutting members arranged to cut in different travel lines so that when the apparatus is drawn a wide ribbon of road is cut or ripped ready for the removal of the fragments thereby produced.

One object of this invention is to provide in such an apparatus means whereby the cutting or ripper members are kept near the axis of the carrying wheels'in order that the cutting members shall be kept in a balanced position for mov'- ing from place to place and more steadily held in proper` working position at different depths.

Another object is to' provide in connection with the foregoing a two-part or split axle for the wheels, each part having a crank extension upon the end of which the supporting wheel is journaled so that either side of the tool carrying frame can be raised or lowered independently of the other and held in such relationr to the ground and thereby transversely tilt the cutting tool carrying frame and the line of the cut of the tools in a plane slanting to the horizontal.

A further object is to provide improved means for moving and holding the axles of the carrying `wheels to place them in the position necessary to secure the desired elevated or lowered position of the tool carrying frame.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the disclosure herein.

The invention is embodied in the example herein shown and described, the features of novelty being pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus according to the invention.

' Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation looking at the lower side of Fig. 1, said side being the left hand side of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the rear of the apparatus with parts broken out. Fig. 4 is a side view broken out to show the means for adjusting and holding the axles in adjusted position. 1

. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the means shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a' rear view illustrating, on a smaller scale, the axles adjusted to cause an inclination of the tool carrying frame and the tool cutting line.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, 10 designates the ripping tool carrying frame, said frame including transverse bars II to which are secured longitudinal members I2 and between which latter the ripping tools I3 are lixed at their Shanks by bolts I4, the forward ends of the shanks being held from oscillation. The said bolts I4 are preferably frangible so that if a tool should,

in operation, meet with an unyielding `obstruca tion the tool will, if the drawing power be ample, be released by the fracture of its said holding bolt I4, and drawn out. l

In the apparatus depicted five of the ripping tools I 3 are shown, two at each side of the middle one. The ripping tools are so located at each side of the middle one as to have their working points at each side of the middle one in a line slanting to the direction of the draft on the apparatus in order to facilitate the draft `and more effective and thoroughly to rip the road.

The character I5 designates the carrying or vground wheels, said wheels having transversely concaved rims thereby causing them to bite into the road and prevent them from slipping laterally. vEach of said wheels I5 is journaled on the end of a crank extension I 6 of an independent axle Ia, said two axles being journaled in suitable bearings at Il and I8 so as to be rotated and xable to raise or lower the frame. Referring now to Figs. 4 and-5, the character I9 designates a ratchet wheel or spur gear-like form which is suitably secured to the axle Ilia. Straddling said ratchet wheel and pivotally connected with the axle is a pair of arms 29 between which arms are two pawls ZI and 22 each pivoted on the same pin 23 secured between said arms 20.

The pawl 2l is a single one and the pawl 22 a double one. The single pawl 2| has secured to it an arm 24 that works outside the arms 20 and has attached to it a chain 25 extended to a rod 26 sliding on an operating hand lever ,ZLv

The double pawl 22 has a lug 28 extending across the rear of the single pawl 2| so that when the chain 25 is drawn upward it strikes the said lug 28 and moves the lower end of the pawl 22 from the ratchet vI9 and the upper end of the double pawl into engagement with the ratchet I9.

When the upper end of the double pawl is thus engaged the ratchet I9 is turned anti-clockwise by properly operating the handle 21 and the tool frame lowered.. When the rod 2l and chain 25 are released the lower end of the pawl 22 and the pawl 2I normally lie, by gravity, in the path of the teeth ofthe gear I 9, and engage said teeth consecutively when the hand lever is properly rocked to turn the axle clockwise to raise the tool carrying frame.

Pivoted on the tool carrying frame forward of theratchet I9'on a transverse pin 29 is a pair of pawls 3D and 3|, each of which is adapted to engage the ratchet I9, but when one is engaged lwith a tooth of said Wheel the other rests on the top of an adjacent tooth of the wheel. For controlling the operation of this pair of pawls there is provided on the pawl 3| a lug Sia that overlies the pawl 36, said pawl 3B also being provided with a lug a that lies in the path of an oscillating controlling arm 32that is pivoted on said pinA 29;

The arm 32 has connected with it a handled pivot of the pair of pawls just described is a stop pawl 3l adapted, ,when the operation of 'the ratchet wheel i9 is reversed, to engage the ratchet to latch the saine against clockwise movement, said stop pawl being controlled by a slidable rod 38. Said rod 38 extends through `a stationary -eye Sgen the pawl Si and on said rod 3 8 between stops thereon at'opposite sides of said eye are coil springs di) and di adapted yieldingly to hold said pawl either in or out of engagement with the ratchet.

v The main operating lever 27, pivoted at Zia between the arms 20, is connected at its end to one end of a link d3, theother end of said link being connected with a fixed pin ill in a bracket in the rear transverse cross bar Ii of the frame. The link 43 and the pin di@ constitute a fulcrurn of and limitingmeans for the throw'of the said operating lever.

At 45 (see Fig. 2) isa stop for preventing forward swing of the crank extension of the axle when vin the down vertical positionso that the only direction in which said axle extension can be raised or lowered is in an arc or curvilinear direction at the rear or ripping tool side or close to the vertical plane of the axis of the wheels. The advantage of this provision is that the operating draft on theV tools is kept steady and close to the axes of rotation ofthe carrying wheels and therefore the tools work in straight lines rather than in up and down wavy lines due to remoteness of the working tools from the wheel axles.

The ratchet and pawl mechanism and the operating parts therefor for raising and lowering the frame are equivalents at each side ofthe apparatus and each can be operated independently of 1 the other in order that transverse inclination, as

respects the horizontal of the frame of the apparatus and the tools carried thereby, can be obtained, an instance of which is illustrated in Fig. 6 for ripping inclined surfaces as at the shoulder of a road.

In practice the apparatus is drawn by means of a sufficiently powerful tractor or other engine suitably coupled to the forwardv end of the frame, a's at 50, while the operator'in the rear operates the devices for adjusting the position of the frame in accordance with the work to be done.

The form, number and-dimensions of the parts can be changed without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is: Y

1. A ripping implement of the class described including a rigid frame, independent axles secured on said frame, a pair of ground wheels on said axles for supporting said frame, a plurality of ripping tools secured on said frame having one orkmore of their working points extended forwardly under said framey between said wheels and forward of a vertical plane coinciding with said axles, and means for upwardly and downwardly adjusting and fixing said frame with respect to said wheels.

2. A ripping implement of the class described including a rigid frame, independent axles secured on said frame, a pair of ground wheels on said axles for supporting said frame, a plurality of ripping tools secured on said frame having one or more of their working points extended forwardly under said frame between said wheels and forward of a vertical plane coinciding with said axles, and means 'for upwardly and downwardly adjusting and xing said frame with respect to one of said wheels. .3. A ground'r'ipping implement of the class described including a rigid frame, independent axles secured on said frame, said axles havingv crank extensions beyond the sides. of said frame, ground wheels supported on said crank extensions, means for shifting said crank arms angularly, and means `for holding them in shiftedposition, and a plurality of ripping tools secured on said frame having one or more of their working points extended forwardly between said wheels to a point or points forward of a vertical plane coinciding with said axles.

4. A ground ripping implement of the class described including a rigid frame, independent axles secured on said frame, said axles having crank extensions beyond the sides of said frame, ground wheels supported on said crank extensions, means for shifting one of said crank arms angularly, and means for holding it in shifted position, and a plurality of ripping tools secured on said frame having one or more of their working points extended forwardly between said wheels to a point or points forward of a vertical plane coinciding with said axles.

5. A ground ripping implement of the class described including a rigid frame, independent axles secured on saidframe, said axles having crank extensions beyond the sides of said frame, ground wheels supported on said crank extensions, means for shifting one of said crank arms angularly, and means for holding it in shifted position, and a plurality of ripping tools secured on said frame having one or more of their working points extended forwardly between said wheels to a point or points forward of a vertical plane coinciding with said axles and means for limiting the angular shifting of said crank arm to positions substantially in rear of said vertical plane of the axle.

6. In a ripping implement of the class described including a frame, ground wheel spindles secured on said frame, one of which is movable in respect to the frame, ground wheels on said spindles, a plurality of ripping tools secured on said frame having one or more of their working points extended forwardly under said frame between said. wheels and forward of a vertical plane coinciding with the points of connection of said spindles with said frame, and means for upwardly and downwardly adjusting and iiin'ng said frame with respect to said movable wheel spindle.

f FRANK J. DU VALL. 

